Meant To Be
by pale-but-not-a-vampire
Summary: Esme and her family fight the Volturi...only to suffer a terrible loss. Find out why and how they choose to move on. Oneshot. Post-Eclipse.Rated T for safety. Read and Review!


This is my first fic. Sorry if the format is messed up or confusing. Although I hate disclaimers, I know I need one to avoid being sued.

(All Characters belong to Stephenie Meyer.)

(If you're going to review, be nice. Constructive criticism is welsome.)

BTW the whole fic is Esme POV

I hear a sound equivalent to the noise of a rock being shredded. It will not be the first time today… I hope to god that it is one of them. I don't have time to look, for I am engaged in a fierce battle with Caius, one of the Volturi leaders.

I twist this way and that, forcing my opponent up against one of the outer walls of the city of Volterra. I am beginning to tire for the first time today. It must be close to sundown. The light is fading in the outskirts of the evacuated city.

So many of the Volturi have been killed. Marcus, Heidi, a few of the guards, and a newborn named Gianna have been annihilated because of us—Edward's mind-reading advantage, Emmett's brute strength, Jasper's expertise in vampire warfare and Alice's predictions have aided us in the battle. . . not to mention the help we have received from our dear friends from up north.

I dart left, and then right as Caius tries to swipe at my neck. I counterattack, moving parallel to his left. I have the advantage for moment, but then I think of darling Bella. She is a fairly new vampire and was never really taught how to combat the Volturi.

I bite down on my lip and look around. I see Bella, a blur of white skin and brown hair fly at Jane, tearing off a large hunk of her leg. As take my mind and eye off the battle for a split-second, my opponent almost rips off my right shoulder. Bella's OK (thank God), and so am I. I go back to fighting.

I really hate this. I hate violence, fighting… and killing. But we must fight to keep Edward and Bella, Emmett and Alice with us—and that's how this full blown war has ensued. The Volturi want my family member's powers (or power, in Emmett's case) for their guard. Carlisle, my beautiful Carlisle, decided that the only way we could keep our family together would be to fight his former allies—although he had his doubts. I pray that this will turn out in our favor. If I ever lose anyone in our family I will die…I love them all so much…

I am locked in a stalemate with Caius. For some reason, neither one of us can get an advantage over the other. My family is blurred, moving fast around me. I hear vampires yelling, as well as grunts, moans...and then a gut-wrenching, heart-stopping scream of agony emits from Edward. What is wrong? Dodging an attack from my side, I pause for half a second, and look around. Where is Carlisle? And Alice?

They are no where to be found. The Volturi lay, dying and in pieces, on the ground all around me. I call out to my son.

"Edward?"

As I wait for an answer, Caius lunges toward my face…a huge mistake on his part. I dart quickly to the right and move at a deadly angle toward the vampire's neck. It tears with a sickening, thunderous rip. His head rolls across my feet, and I finish him off. Caius is dead. I feel guilty for a moment, but then I remember why I fought this vampire in the first place—he was a threat to the ones that I love.

I look around. All of the Volturi are dead now, except for Jane, Aro, Alec, and a few other nameless faces. Suddenly, they begin a retreat back into their city. The proud Volturi are surrendering?! Finally, it's over! I sigh in relief. But then my brow furrows and I remember the cry from Edward. Was he hurt? Was someone else hurt?

There is still no sign of Alice, Carlisle, or Jasper. Where could they be? Tanya and the others have left, but where is my family? They _have_ to be alright…

Emmett and Rosalie suddenly appear from behind me. Rosalie won't me in the eye. My burly son just keeps shaking his curly head, eyes wide. He pats my shoulder sadly, but lovingly.

Bella, who had been fighting Jane on a crumbling wall, has lightly sprung down to my level. She runs to Edward, burying her face into his shoulder.

I am too scared to ask what is going on. I can't even comprehend what has happened when I see the horrified look on my youngest son's pale face. I gasp, wringing my hands together nervously.

"Esme! I…he…Esme…please—" Edward gasps, sobbing tearlessly. He has his face in one hand; the other is stroking Bella's hair. My stomach twists uncomfortably, a sensation unknown to my Vampire form. Who have we lost? I bend over to retch, but nothing comes up. I just cough. Then I begin to weep.

"It's…Carlisle—he…" Edward begins, and I stop breathing. No. He can't say it. Carlisle can't have...I can't even think the word.

"He's _dead_. I'm so sorry, Esme." He sobs, holding Bella tightly. I cry out like a wounded animal. I feel as if my insides have been ripped out. I am shaking and my body is racked by tearless sobs.

I am in shock. I can't believe it. I scream again, louder this time, pouring out my torn soul. The love of my life has just been…killed. I fall to the ground and rock back and forth as the world crumbles around me.

"Oh, Esme," Someone moans, wrapping their thin arms around me. I continue to cry, wishing the tears that will never be released would just pour out of my eyes. I am in agony. I didn't even get to say goodbye—and I never thought I'd have to. The love of my existence is gone…and I will never see him again—for all eternity.

What will I do?

I miss him. I need him. In times like these, Carlisle would hold me. In times like these, he would kiss my fears away. But he's not here, and I feel like I shouldn't be living without him.

I feel guilty and alone, even though Bella is cradling me in her arms.

I feel empty, dead, and I have lost my will to live. I wish the damn Volturi would come back, kill me, and leave my family alone.

Now I know how Edward felt when he thought he had lost his true love. Now I know the pain he has endured. I understand completely.

Maybe I should just kill myself.

"No." Alice speaks quietly and sadly from somewhere above me. She must have seen me kill myself.

I hang my head in shame, still quivering with tearless sobs. This is hard for them, too. And I was furious with Edward when he tried to end his life…why should I do the same and cause my loved ones even more pain?

That wouldn't be what Carlisle would want me to do. Just thinking his beautiful name makes my heart ache even more and I can't help but moan loudly. Alice appears next to me in the dirt and rubs soothing circles on my back.

"You are right, Esme. It is what he would have wanted you to do. It is what he would have wanted _all _of us to do." It's Edwards controlled voice that reassures me now. I don't know what else to do, so I stand up, eyes blank, and kiss Edward lightly on the forehead. He embraces me sadly, and we both cry for what feels like hours.

"Where is Jasper?" I ask sullenly. I haven't seen him since the beginning of the battle. In the darkness, the rest of my family sits huddled around me as if they are holding me together. In a sense, they are. I love them all, but there is an obvious void in my life.

We are still in Volterra. We are all too dejected to go home…or even hunt for that matter, though we know we will have to do both sometime tonight.

"Jazz had to leave for a while…" Alice explains tiredly. I have never seen her so void of energy. "He couldn't handle the emotions emitting from all of us."

"Neither could I." Edward says, shaking his head. He looks dazed. "It was almost too much to bear, hearing all your thoughts. Especially Jasper's."

I stand up for the first time in a few hours.

"It is time to leave. We can't stay here any longer. I'm afraid we may still be in danger." I say almost inaudibly.

Not that I care if the Volturi come back, rip me to pieces, and burn my leftovers. Then, at least maybe I could see him in heaven…

The rest of my family stands up. Bella supports my left side, and Edward holds up my right as we walk at a human pace into the dark forest on the outskirts of the city to hunt. Emmett and Rosalie hold each other, the latter softly crying. Jasper has rejoined Alice, looking strained and tired. Later, hopefully we will be able to catch a flight back to Alaska.

Suddenly, Alice stops walking and her big black eyes glaze over. She gracefully leans all of her weight on Jasper, and he grasps her tiny shoulders tightly as she is pulled into a vision.

I am afraid. I start to shake.

Minutes later, when her expression returns to normal, all of our apprehensive faces gaze quizzically at her. I've stopped breathing. Bella's breath catches. What could Alice have seen resulting from this terrible tragedy?

She is smiling. _Smiling?_

"Everything is going to be okay." She whispers happily. "He…" She trails off and let's the last word hang in the air. Edward and I exchange bewildered glances.

"'_He_' what?" Edward demands.

"He meant for it to be this way." She answers simply. And with that, Alice gracefully dances off into the forest.

Although I don't understand completely what she saw or what just happened, something tells me everything will turn out alright.


End file.
